Oh dear, here we are racing towards the midpoint of 2020 and the year seems to have hardly begun. Citizens have either been on a knife edge of exhaustion (essential workers, Covid sufferers) or caught up in lockdown (the rest of us). Either way there is a sense of time gone, time lost, time that may not come again. And just at the point when there is a sense of relief and movement, a lightening of the load, perhaps even of opportunity, the cosmos has moved into a mammoth go-slow. Astrologically, few of us are racing anywhere.

For starters comes the year’s second cycle of Mercury Retrograde – June 18- July 12 – three weeks when the communications planet turns heavy-footed and inclined to consider the past rather than the future. Gadgets go awry and the traffic never seems to run in your favour.

Venus is also in a retrograde cycle until June 25. Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto are all retrograde and Neptune joins them on June 23. We are being give pause for thought and reflection about the last, relentless six months. a mood that prevails on a personal, micro-scale until at least mid-July. What about all those good resolutions you made during lockdown?

On the macro, collective scale – politics, societies, pandemics and so on – the retrospective mood lasts a little longer, perhaps until the autumn, when the heavyweight planets – Saturn, Jupiter – move forwards once more and in a somewhat ominous formation with Mars, trundling towards what looks suspiciously like the year’s grand finale at Christmastide, when Jupiter and Saturn make their once-every 20 year conjunction, this time in Aquarius.

Your astrologer is not one to join the chorus of ‘New Age of Aquarius’ emanating from more dewy-eyed commentators but said conjunction does at least mark the end of Saturn-Pluto’s unpleasant rule. And as astrologer poet William Butler Yeats put it, in his usual cryptic fashion

‘When Jupiter and Saturn meet

Oh what a lot of mummy wheat’

Even knowing what ‘mummy wheat’ is – ancient Egypt is involved – I’m still trying to figure out what he meant.

But let’s bring the calendar back to now. Mercury retrograde (in so-called ‘shadow’ from the start of the month) spells postponement, wait-and-see, no call for precipitate action. Before you solve the problem, make sure you understand it. Panic measures, as we in the UK have seen, solve little. Saturn’s backward slide out of Aquarius and back into sober Capricorn, complete by July 1st, means nailing down your strategy for the medium term – the rest of the year.

Two eclipses in June are both potential game-changers; the Sagittarius full Moon of June 5 is across the

Gemini-Sagittarius axis, where the lunar nodes – fateful points in traditional and Vedic astrology – have just arrived for the next 18 months. The four ‘mutable’ signs – The Twins, The Maiden, The Centaur and The Fishes are all in the thick of this month’s planetary action.

The solar eclipse at the new Moon of June 21, bang on the midsummer solstice, echoes a cycle that began six months ago, when there was an eclipse in Capricorn on December 26, just prior to the Saturn-Pluto conjunction opening its fiercesome gates (on January 10). Something a karmic reckoning then; how have nations handled the pandemic? How did it all begin? Covid 19 isn’t going away any time soon, but we may start getting some answers.

Gemini

Twins are comfortable with ambiguity – it’s practically a calling card actually, maddening though that can be for the rest of the zodiac – so the retrograde of Venus in your skies is for you to prevaricate over and other people to handle. You are allowed to change your mind…and back again…several times a day if you so wish. Whatever makes you happy…or not. And by all means return the new curtains you just bought by mail order (or are they really so bad?). Everyone else will surely be pleased when Venus turns to forwards motion on June 25, but don’t be surprised if some of them have bruised feelings. Any misconduct will get called out however much you think charm alone can carry the day.

Venus remains an enviable planet to have in your skies all the same, one to attract admirers (and old flames) and you have another six weeks of the romance planet after June 25. It isn’t as if the rest of the zodiac isn’t going through its own changes. The full Moon opposite you on June 25 is eclipsed, perhaps marking a change of heart from significant others, or even your wider public (the Moon equals the people among its diverse meanings). And talking of your public profile, bear in mind that Mars and Neptune at the peak of your cope, where your professional life unfolds, is also an ambiguous, even fickle combination and one to put you uncomfortably on the spot.

Your Mercury ruler is also into one if its elaborate retrogrades, strictly speaking from the 18th but best consider it in operation throughout June and July, a cue for a go-slow for all and you in particular. You might wish to re-assess and restructure your belongings and financial portfolio during this time. The solar eclipse on Midsummer’s day is in your cash zone – not a call for panic but for thought. Happy birthday.

Cancer

One’s home is one’s castle, super especially if one is a Cancerian. for whom even the thought of relocation can bring on feelings of trauma and dread rather than spelling opportunity and adventure.

Nonetheless, 18 months of Saturn and Pluto in opposition, plus attendant eclipses in Cancer and Capricorn, may have put you in mind of a new homestead, a property deal, or major adjustments to your domestic arrangements. With Mercury in your skies for nine long weeks, you have ample time to set plans more firmly – much the same applies to professional and career matters but keep in mind Mercury retrograde is best used for research and revision rather than action. If you have to commit, try to keep things on a provisional basis. Mercury Ret favours number crunching and reassessment, while fresh funds are probably simpler to gain as summer unfolds.

International contacts, should you have ’em, are favourably starred all month. Used-to-be lovers and other ghosts from former lives – if you have the years to have had ’em – are also in the mix. Relationships in the here and now look set for a breather, at least until the solar eclipse at the new Moon on midsummer’s day. This lunation, arriving in the first degree of the Crab’ skies, carries plenty of oomph and a hint of fatefulness. Give things a few days to settle – unless you are planning on a vanishing act – but The Moon being Cancer’s celestial totem, you are especially empowered during your birthday month. Be clear without being in a rush. A resplendent show of summer Sun, regardless of the weather, is the order of the day.

Leo

One of the advantages of life as a Leo is not losing your head when those around you are dithering and backtracking. Given so many planets in retrograde there’s sure to be some of that in June’s mix, perhaps even among people to whom you are close (or trying hard to be). Let other hearts and minds flutter while you stick to your course. There would seem to be plenty of social action to enjoy during the annual dance of the Sun in Gemini, not least around the Sagittarian full Moon of June 5, which falls in your fifth house of recreation and romantic encounters, social distancing allowing.

Ongoing one-on-one relationships have endured a taste of Saturn in opposition this spring – birthdays 22-4 July take note – what’s required as the ringed planet retrogrades out of your way is a calm appraisal of lessons learned. Drastic action isn’t called for unless the other party insists; things may get giddy at mid-month when Mars meets Neptune in a private (and sexy) sector of your horoscope, but this is but a passing moment.

Much of the month’s action is across the mind-body-spirit axis of your ‘scope, including an eclipse of your Sun ruler on midsummer’s day. Earnest work, should any be available, is one way to keep yourself on the straight and narrow (and if you are looking for a career hop, try an unorthodox route. Understanding the labyrinths of your psyche is another – that eclipse of your Sun ruler on midsummer’s day may rip away a few veils from your secret self and secret history. Good for meditative sessions between your regal rules.

Virgo

Cut, dried and orderly is how Virgos like their affairs (there are, of course, super-messy exceptions), but you likely have to endure a month when things are anything but compliant. The retrograde of Venus across the roof of your ‘scope signals changing circumstances in public matters (most obviously your profession) and people on whom you cannot altogether rely, however sweet they may be. That message is doubled up by the retrograde cycle of your Mercury ruler, which strictly speaking begins on the 18th, but is best considered to be in operation from day one.

Being your super-organised self is your habitual way of handling any commotion, so no reason for undue alarm, though it looks hard to simply keep your head down and let things blow over. You may have to make a point of being seen and showing colleagues how to handle the ship in inclement weather, metaphorically speaking. Someone has to be in charge, why not you? Jupiter in a fellow earth sign doesn’t favour subservience. The full Moon of June 5 is one likely point of upset.

Your personal life is a different but no less challenging matter. Mars in opposition (until the 28th) always requires a cautious, non-inflammatory approach, whether handling a hothead or maintaining your normal equanimity (it says here). Mars not only clashes with the Gemini sun during much of June but is mixed up with Neptune at mid-month, when misinformation or missing information is one possible scenario. An alternative is a powerful attraction to a significant (or newly significant) other (fingers crossed). Neptune remains a potent but hard to read force, especially for birthdays circa 12 September.

Providing you are not in a hurry; the month of Cancer should work in your favour. By now you should know the drill with mercury retrograde; old work is as good as new, and old colleagues have a habit of showing up.

Libra

Now where we before lockdown so rudely interrupted? June’s stars have things in common with those pertaining in April – Saturn in the early degrees of Aquarius, your Venus ruler in the early degrees of Gemini – except that this time said planets are in retrograde rather than going forwards. They also pull in almost opposite directions. Saturn moving back to the root of your ‘scope emphasises roots; home and family and the security they offer. Venus in airy Gemini seeks exploration and immersion in the world of ideas.

Your elegantly balanced self has to honour both impulses. Saturn, in its blunt way, returns you to the necessity of keeping the wolf from the door and to brick and mortar issues. The ringed planets lurking in Capricorn for the rest of the year so there is likely no rush, not least because Mercury is on go slow for the first stretch of summer. If not home and hearth, then career is the issue. Up at the peak of your ‘scope Mercury is prevaricating while at midsummer a new Moon arrives there with a solar eclipse attached. It looks time to finish up one project that has bugged you these last few months and, if you are looking to do so, to set out a new course in the public, professional arena. The combination of Saturn and Sun/Mercury across the Capricorn/Cancer axis of your ‘scope – home and career respectively – looks pushy over the next two months. Be prepared to be pro-active, retrogrades or not – don’t just get buffeted by events or put off by your own procrastination (you, indecisive? Surely not).

As for keeping wolf from door, Prometheus remains in forward motion in your zone of assets, hence there are appears to be more than one way to generate income. Other people’s money, most obviously that of your partner in crime, should you have one, though the world of finance and attendant deals may also have a part to play.

Venus, your happily undisputed ruler, remains onside for another two months, coming out of retrograde on June 25 before pushing ahead through The Twins until early August. This is a peachy transit, ideal for recreation, understanding newly acquired chums and with that frisson of romance that Librans find oh so appealing. If you the creative sort, it can pull your agile powers in new and bold directions. Usually Venus is here and gone in three weeks, not the four months of 2020, so on a deeply personal level, consider this summer as a one of opportunity and benevolence. You have a waxing Moon in your skies twice in June; once the 1st and again over the weekend of the 27th and 28th; big it up a little.

Scorpio

Everyone knows that Scorpio’s waters run deep, and that your sign has a spooky, albeit alluring and sexy side. The question just now is how much you trust those fabled instincts of yours. For much of June your ruling planet, Mars (surely Pluto as your governor is a bit much even for you), is in fellow water sign Pisces – a benign and supportive placement – but mixed up with Neptune, whose energies are at best fleetingly glamorous and at worst downright misleading. By all means use this mixture to fuel your inner fires, crank up your creativity and attract charismatic dates, but best do due diligence on offers that come your way. The waxing Moon in your skies on June 3 and 4 should help.

Talking of attraction, Prometheus remains in long term opposition, emphasising that relationships, especially for October birthdays, come in unorthodox guise and that even long-term partnerships are prone to turmoil. ‘Head over heels’ is a good description for what can happen under this transit.

Then there’s Venus, the goddess of romance herself and ruler of your partnership zone. Retrograde in your eighth house until the 25th she appears to be having doubts about one or more entanglements and perhaps looking back wistfully to former times; quite the recipe for sex with the ex. The lunation in Gemini, and specifically the eclipsed full Moon of June 5, bear on your financial axis, where a peek at your cash flow (hopefully not through your fingers) is in order- just in case. Venus, being a money planet as well as a social one (someone has to pick up the bill for all the flowers) urges patience and ingenuity if you are stuck with an uncooperative spread sheet.

June’s other eclipse, of the Sun on midsummer’s day, is in the other water sign of Cancer, again a supportive placement for Scorpios though with another retrograde going on, this time Mercury, double check your travel plans, should you have any, and if you are on the move, observe social distancing, at least in the infectious old UK.

Sagittarius

Sagittarians are often described as the smart Alecs of the zodiac, philosophers, teachers, talkers and optimists. Just now, however, you could be forgiven for sitting on your hands and waiting to see what happens. As ever at this time of year you have the Sun in opposition from your partnership sign of Gemini, but a retrograde Venus also here muddies the waters, not least where significant others are involved – a convoluted romance worthy of Normal People perhaps, or stealing back to your used-to-be, or being sent contradictory signals from an object of admiration.

Adding a level of perplexity comes your annual full Moon on the weekend of June 5/6, always a time of heightened emotions and this time with a lunar eclipse involved. You may well be able to, as so often, use the lunar madness for some happy high jinks, but ‘we have to talk’ summits are best avoided. You look somewhat on the back foot. Venus remains in opposition for a couple of months more, and once out of retrograde on the 25th, you should be able to get straight answers, if you are looking for ’em and a more positive response from dates and crushes.

Neptune at the root of your chart is asking the same old questions of many Centaurs – Have your domestic arrangements sorted? Know where you should be living? – this time with the added edge of Mars. Here too you can afford to dawdle a while. Mercury in retrograde isn’t helping anyone, not just you, from straightening out arrangements. Suffice to say that in order to gain momentum you likely also have to shed some baggage (literally and karmically).

June features the last gasp of Saturn in Aquarius – until Christmas – which is handy for pragmatism, materially oriented issues (including home), talking to the powers that be and reminding the world that even in a state of indecision, your capacity for relentless optimism remains undimmed.

Capricorn

There’s another month before Saturn, your ruler and sometime tormentor, retreats back into the Sea Goat’s skies, a prime time to batten down the hatches and ensure all is ship-shape for the final haul to your birthday, a task quite in keeping with the retrograde of Mercury in your partnership sign Cancer, and the retrograde of helpful Jupiter in your own skies. Beaver away eagerly on old and half-finished tasks. That notion is fully supported by action across the mind-body-spirit axis of your ‘scope, where a retrograde Venus and the eclipsed full Moon of July 5 suggest you heave some excess baggage overboard.

At the same time, you can also make merry as Mars in Pisces – water for your earth – links you to pals and siblings. The days after the full Moon, when a still potent Luna passes through your skies, may prove confusing (Neptune’s involved) but plough on regardless. Prometheus the liberator is also onside in fellow earth sign Taurus to ginger up your social life, turn up a few crazy romantic dates – should that be your bag – and excite you with new ideas. December birthdays in particular take note.

Relationships and partnerships of all stripes remain on an even keel (those seafaring metaphors keep on coming) despite that moody Mercury in opposition. Careful what you promise others and, likewise, remind them of what they promised to you. A degree of mind-changing and revised plans is likely unavoidable, especially in the month’s second half.

The solar eclipse accompanying the new Moon on Midsummer’s day may change the rule book with significant others. It takes a while before eclipses to work themselves through but if you were born at the midwinter solstice, December 21, this has new beginning/end note written on it.

At the close of June Mars arrives at the root of your ‘scope for an epic six month stay, one asking for a high energy summer from all Capricorns. At home or in your hard-won profession, you should enjoy making your point. Sail on.

Aquarius

Your ability to carry extra responsibilities has likely been put to the test during these recent troubled months, especially if you are a January birthday. Saturn’s retreat from your skies, complete by the end of June, should help lighten the load. If you are true to the altruistic streak of Aquarius (the public plumber remember), you have also been putting in more than your share of help and support to others, both for near and dear and for the great surge of humanity. Contrary to some descriptions of your sign, you are not all space cadet (and heaven preserve that particular streak in you).

if you are looking for a new job, or promotion, June is a decent time to make a pitch, even if you have to wait six months for a result, by which time Saturn will be back in its present position. A solar eclipse on midsummer’s day, which falls in your house of hard graft, supports the notion that you may have more to give. What do you have to lose by a little self-promotion?

You have had help in May from your kindred air sign of Gemini, with much more to come in June and July. Venus here, in your fifth house, is a blessing even when the green planet is looping the loop in its retrograde phase. Friends and lovers are at hand – except when they unaccountably go missing – and erstwhile chums are apt to pop up in your social mix. June is a good time to settle old scores and sores in amicable fashion and to re-present yourself to the world at large (those old glad rags still have charm!). This is one of Venus’s purposes, as is to allure anyone you have the eye on. Grab any social invites, limited though they may be, by the lapels. And if you want to lose someone from your trail, the eclipsed full Moon on June 5 is a handy time to disappear (abrupt departure is fine). Meanwhile, the creatives among you should be on a roll.

Prometheus, the planet held by many to be your celestial totem (Saturn is, by tradition, your governor), is in provocative position, again most pressingly for January birthdays. Whether you want to overturn your domestic set-up, rebuild your studio, or are looking to completely relocate, the force is with you, but let Mercury retrograde go by before you up sticks and move to utopia.

Pisces

Lockdown or not, furloughed or not, you appear to have your hands full in June. There are tricky people to handle, offers and promises to consider, your own restless energy to direct. Mars, a high-octane planet, remains in your sign through to month’s end, and if not harnessed to good ends the red planet tends to find arguments to have. You may find yourself under provocation (as in May), since the red planet remains at odds with the Sun for much of June. not least around the 12th, when a waxing Moon in Pisces joins both Mars and Neptune in your skies. That can be a pleasantly forceful combination – you get what you want! – but also a touchy one.

The most obvious places to direct your energy are to home and hearth – Venus in retrograde near the root of your ‘scope is all in favour of a facelift for Chateau Pisces, and all for the joy of family life (which is we know, often ain’t all it’s cracked up to be) – and otherwise to career advancement. The full Moon of the June 5 is certainly about your public profile, and since it’s also eclipsed, may call for readjustment in how you present yourself, even if it’s a mere shake-up of your CV on Linked-in. As your astrologer has mentioned previously, your ruler, Jupiter, in Capricorn suggests you can wring favours from the powers-that-be, not just now for the rest of the year. Persistent and consistent, that’s you.

There’s plenty going on elsewhere in your ‘scope. A retrograde Mercury in Cancer – all to the good if you can exercise patience. Look backwards as well as forwards. The solar eclipse in Cancer on midsummer’s day may also signal a turn-round in your close associations, especially for birthdays Feb 20-21st – someone saying sayonara? Or hello, is it me you’re looking for? Romance could be on a slow-burn but none the worse for that. There is a quirky streak to social life in any case, thanks to the ongoing march of Prometheus in Taurus. Pisceans aren’t ones to shy away from unexpected people, especially the brainy sort. Enjoy.

Aries

Several transits suggest you best be a Steady Eddy (or Serener Edwina) for the time being. Firstly, your ruler Mars is behind the scenes in Pisces, where it is mixed up with the confusion, spiritual pursuits and pleasurable diversions (probably secret) associated with Neptune. More on the red planet anon. Secondly, your ‘scope is in the grip of two potent retrogrades. Mercury’s hoopla at the root of your chart during June and much of July is likely to occasion changes in domestic and professional plans, neither of which are necessarily your doing or fault. Venus going through a similar yes-it’s-no cycle may occasion pals and sweethearts likewise pulling a switcheroo, or yourself deciding that one particular associate be left to chill until they come to their senses later in the month. The full Moon of June 5 may prove a page-turner.

Not that the month of Gemini is all flakiness. The Sun and Venus here always offer good company, ready wit and rewarding flirtation, all possibly involving an old flame. Former times are strong in the mix during the first three weeks of the month.

In the Ram’s own skies, the enigmatic planetoid Chiron holds sway, pointing to a perhaps unexpected role as healer, either of your own wounds – we all have ’em – or those of other people, friends, lovers and all points between. Responsibilities remain a major feature in 2020’s horoscope, whether they concern family, firm, or the load you carry in order to carve your professional path through a cold and impersonal world. Saturn, which has given you a minor break from these during spring, reasserts its tasks from July onwards.

The solar eclipse cum new Moon on Midsummer’s Day signals a change of mood, most pertinently for March birthdays. While you’re still in the drag of Mercury’s backslide, you’re being prompted to adjust your skirts or trews for a pro-active summer season. Mars arrives in your skies on June 28 not for the usual six weeks but for an entire six months, during which it completes its own elaborate retrograde. You can look upon this is an activation of your Aries superpowers but proceed with as much caution as you can muster. A shake-down of your personal team – rousing speeches, demotion of less-inclined supporters – is one way to begin. Flame on!

Taurus

Your ‘scope is far from all business, and even further from business as usual, but when you have Saturn (which is all business) pinned to the apex of your ‘scope, then your future path through the professional wiles of the world is sure to be high up the agenda. The ringed planet is slipping backwards into Capricorn – a more obliging place for earthy old you – for the rest of 2020, but just now is reminding you that there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. Even for a hungry Taurus.

Just to underscore the point is your ruling planet, Venus, retrograding in your second house of ready money and an eclipsed full Moon opposite on June 5 in your house of not-so-ready money; your assets, royalties, mortgage and that bequest from great aunt Tilda. Taurus being the sign of economics – the Bank of England was born under it, as was the UK’s current Chancellor of the Exchequer – you should be able to juggle the cash flow like a professional. After all, you’ve survived this far. Short term measures are fine, but by the time Venus returns to normal service on June 25, look to be gaining rather than draining your personal pot.

The turn-around of Venus should also help sort out more emotional matters, should they be up in the air. By then the month’s second eclipse – of the Sun, at new Moon on midsummer’s day – will have been and gone, and so too will have the somewhat confusing picture presented by Mars (ruler of your partnership sign Scorpio) being mixed up for much of the month with Neptune. Add into that a retrograde Mercury and you shouldn’t expect too many of your concerns to have a definite outcome during June’s opening three weeks. There are too many variables, too many inconstant factors, and while Taureans don’t care for ambiguity and what-ifs, you look stuck with them for now. Tough!

You may have to get used to the high wire act. One constant factor in your horoscope is the presence of Prometheus, a planet ever happy to overturn an apple cart and which is especially active for April birthdays. Prometheus doesn’t much care for business as usual, but it will make you feel more alive, more alert (if that adjective hasn’t been diminished to meaninglessness) than in months and years. For those of you enamoured of the mysterious entity known as Black Moon Lilith (wild and spooky it says here), she too is in your skies to keep you on your toes.